


The Fly

by BarPurple



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 07:43:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15990752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple
Summary: Gold is researching a case in the library when he is interrupted in an unusual way.





	The Fly

Gold frowned and made another note on the increasingly full legal pad. He’d taken on Joel Shumen’s case pro bono to irritate Madam Mayor, who had been particularly vexing recently at town council meetings. Regina was trying to claim town ownership of a field, which Joel adamantly stated was part of his farm. The town had treated the field as common land for years, and when Regina decided to go ahead with her latest ‘improvement project’ she had assumed that it belonged to the town. Oh, how Gold had enjoyed seeing her squirm as she grudgingly admitted that she may have been a little hasty.

Gold suspected that ownership wouldn’t be as clean cut as both parties were hoping for, and so far the old maps and deeds had proved him correct. He’d spent most of the day in the library gathering evidence. It looked as if Regina would have to scale back her plans to give the town a cinema or purchase at least half of the land from Shumen at fair market value.

He was distracted from his fact checking by the sound of a clap followed by a sigh of frustration. The odd little combination had occurred several times over the course of the afternoon. He knew the source of the sound, Belle French, but he still hadn’t fathomed the reason. With a sigh of his own he shrugged and leant back over the large map spread out on the high table in front of him.

A while later the back of Gold’s neck began to prickle as if someone was watching him. Before he could turn around to see who was there, a stinging slap landed on his arse followed by a shout of triumph. He whipped around and found Belle French standing surprisingly close with a look of horror on her face.

Gold was too stunned to say anything, he just leaned back against the table and stared at her. Belle visibly swallowed and began babbling.

“There was a fly. I’ve been trying to swat it all afternoon, but I kept missing it, but then it landed on you and I got it.”

Gold pointedly rubbed his backside and raised an eyebrow; “You certainly did, Miss French.”

She wrung her hands together; “I am so sorry Mr Gold. That was totally unacceptable of me.”

He accepted her apology with a wave of his hand and a smile; “Please don’t worry Miss French. I know how focused one can become on a stubborn fly.”

He wasn’t about to reveal that he had once damaged a valuable painting by squashing a fly against it. He brushed at the seat of his pants as he recalled the mess that particular fly had caused.

“Oh, your, erm, your suit is fine, all the gunk is on me,” – she glanced at her hand and grimaced, - “In fact, if you’ll excuse me, I feel the need to scrub my hand clean.”

She turned and hurried off in the direction of the bathrooms. Gold watched her go with a bemused smile on his face. He chuckled softly to himself, a fly was certainly the strangest reason anyone had ever had for slapping him. Of all the people who had slapped him over the years Belle French was the only one he wouldn’t mind having a second go under less insect driven circumstances. He gave his head a sharp shake and turned back to his work, pushing all such foolish thoughts from his mind.


End file.
